Good reasons why Books make Great Gifts

Books make great gifts because they can be thoughtful, and sometimes also thought-provoking.

Like a card they can convey sentiment, feelings of humour; but they are so much more than a card! They can help people to say things that may they otherwise find so hard to put into words.

Books are better than many other gifts; they don’t make you fat, they don’t wilt, one-size-fits-all, and they are a lot more interesting than socks.

Books are such fabulous value for money, and can last a lifetime. (And really good books really don’t need to be discounted!)

Good books can create good ‘retail theatre’. People love looking at highly visual books. People can be amused and entertained by humorous, quirky, witty titles. Good books can prompt ideas that change the way we think and can make a difference… helping to make life better and more interesting.

Sometimes, when creatively cross-merchandised around your shop, books help provide a context – a signpost – for the surrounding products that you are selling. This can mean that books help you to sell other products – or simply that you will get an add-on impulse sale for a book, as well as the other products you are already selling.

Sometimes the best way to display books is all together, en masse, helping you to create a retail statement, a destination, a ‘gift book’ concept.

Books can increase customer ‘dwell time’ in your shop. The longer people are captivated by (and so anchored in) your shop, the stronger the likelihood that they – or their companions – will buy something.

The right books can help tell your story. They can help you to define what makes your retail environment different and special.

The right book can be an answer to the motive behind what drives a gift buyer’s choices: to express love; to show sentiment & affection; to convey sympathy; to say sorry; as a little token of appreciation; a special keepsake; to honour a special occasion such as wedding, baby, milestone birthday; very often simply to fix the problem of having to mark an occasion like Father’s Day or Christmas with a lovely affordable present; a seemingly random act of kindness, to raise a smile; and, sometimes, just to make someone laugh-out-loud. The recipient of a gift book may treasure it forever; that’s why books make great gifts.

Why children’s books are such an important product to sell:

Expanding brain power! Books are a great way to introduce new words and new concepts into a child’s language and learning – starting with picture books for the very young – with first words, sizes, shapes, colours, numbers – working right through to complex novels for young adults – and on to rhetoric and particle physics. Starting out by making books a daily part of a child’s life helps teach kids to value books, and stories.

Bedtime reading helps relax a kid. The soothing familiarity of a much-loved story, with the rhyme, rhythm and repetition in many picture books, plus the sense of security fostered by the time spent reading together, all help cultivate a love for books and a love for reading.

Indeed, reading stories with children has benefits for the grown-ups too, bonding, and helping to build relationships, snuggling up while you dive into a story together.

Stories help develop imagination – and stimulate curiosity – with the introduction of new ideas into their world – fantastic other worlds, fantastical creatures, different points in time, and invented ‘make-believe’ characters.

Through reading children learn what people’s lives are like where they live, and in other parts of the world, over time introducing more complexities – feelings and emotions – and in doing so, building confidence and self-esteem, knowing where they fit into the ‘real’ world.

And what’s so great about learning through stories is that the process is done in a natural fun way. There’s no actual teaching involved at all; children learn from simply reading the story.

Important to the harmonious running of many families is a good solid supply of activity books – sticker books, quiz books, craft books, journals etc. These can be calming too – compared to screen-time – either at home on rainy days or to be deployed on car journeys, in airports, at restaurant tables.

Market research proves that the sale of children’s books has been growing steadily in recent years – it’s a worldwide phenomenon – and running in the opposite to all those who thought that physical books, as a product, are dead.

Parents and grandparents alike are really keen to counter the prevalence of mobile phones, laptops, and TV, recognising that a good book can be educational, entertaining and great value (especially when read over and over and over again!) as well as simply being great fun!

So an on-trend product, with a great past and growing future, that’s important for the world, and can help drive more sales for you!

We love books. And we hope you love books too! And we hope that you can help us to help you become ever more successful with your book offer.